NUI Galway Athletics excelled at the weekend's IUAA Intervarsities Outdoor Track and Field championships in Carlow.
The men's team finished third and the women's team fifth in a fillip for coaches Brendan Glynn and Matt Lockett who have built a great squad in the college.
The men's squad secured three golds via star athlete Robert McDonnell, Aaron Brennan and the relay team over 4x400 m.
The talented McDonnell also beat the championship record in a superb time of 20.67 seconds, while clubmate Andrew Egan won bronze in the 200m final.
NUIG Relay squads excelled, winning gold in the 4x400m event via McDonnell, Egan, Aaron Keane and Shane Mooney in a time of 3.15. The same squad also won silver in the 4x100m relay.
Aaron Brennan made it a day to remember with a 1500m victory in a quality field, running 3.58 for a well deserved victory.
Shane Mooney won 110 hurdles silver for NUIG, while Paddy Noonan and Kyle Moorhead won bronze medals in the steeplechase and 800m respectively, capping a great debut season for the Craughwell/NUIG duo.
NUIG women's squad also had some outstanding performances, including gold for Sarah Quinn who won the 100m hurdles with ease, showing her international class. Sinead Treacy of Craughwell AC won 400m gold with a great display in 56.15, a testament to her dedication over many years . There were other strong top five performances from Maebh Brannigan and Rachael Hughes.
Galway students Caron Ryan and Aine O Farrell also impressed as they won bronze medals for UL in the 3000m and steeplechase respectively.
National 10km Championships
Mick Clohisey (Raheny Shamrock Athletic Club ) and Sinead O’Connor (Leevale Athletic Club ) secured their respective national 10k titles at a sunswept Great Ireland Run in the Phoenix Park on Saturday, and Galway athletes also delivered on the national stage with silver coming west via Jamie Fallon.
Clohisey enjoyed a great battle with Jamie Fallon of Craughwell AC which saw the pair crossing the halfway point neck-and-neck, before Clohisey slowly pulled away with 3k to go to cross in 30.49, leaving Fallon to secure his third national medal in 30.57.
David Carter was sixth overall for GCH with a super 32.10, with GCH men's team also in the top six via Conor Byrne, Gerry Carty and Tom Breen.
Greg Lundon won Masters 45 men's silver for South Galway AC, and Ellen Moran was fifth in the women's section for GCH, continuing her impressive season clocking a fine 36.37 time.
Abbeyknockmoy 5k
Brother and sister duo Stephen Casserly of Castlegar AC and Kathryn Casserly of GCH were dominant winners of the Abbeyknockmoy 5km held on Sunday, with Stephen winning in 16.54 ahead of Declan Brennan and Colm Byrne. Kathryn Casserly finished in a time of 18.29, ahead of Therese Byrne and Angela Collins.
